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Having lost Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith, South Africa face a difficult task to return to the top of the Test rankings

Firdose Moonda01-May-2014Rebuilding South Africa’s Test side as seamlessly as possible following the twin retirements of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis will be key to regaining the No.1 Test ranking, according to coach Russell Domingo. South Africa were displaced from pole position after the ICC’s annual update, which saw Australia leapfrog them into top spot, by a 0.35-point margin, following a summer of rich returns for Michael Clarke’s men. But Domingo is not pressing the panic button just yet.”I am a little bit surprised because I thought there was quite a substantial gap between the No.1 and No.2 ranked side but that’s the way it is,” Domingo told ESPNcricinfo. “We just have to get on with it and play cricket again.”South Africa were assured of holding on to the No.1 ranking even if they lost all three Tests against Australia earlier this year and received prize money of $475,000 on April 1 for topping the rankings. However, they slipped 0.35 points behind Australia after the update at the end of April which dropped results from 2010-11 and weighted series from 2012-13 at only 50%, giving more recent results more emphasis.Between July 2012 and March 2013, South Africa won eight of the 11 Tests they played, including series victories in England and Australia and a clean sweep of all five Tests against New Zealand and Pakistan at home. But, between October 2013 and March 2014, South Africa’s results dipped. They won just three of the seven matches drew a series with Pakistan in the UAE, triumphed over India at home and tasted their first series defeat in five years, against Australia at home.For Australia that victory and their Ashes triumph, which were both achieved in the past summer, was enough to see them edge ahead of South Africa but their stay at No. 1 could be short-lived. South Africa play three Tests, including one against Zimbabwe, before Australia next take the field in whites and they are targeting those matches as a way to reclaim their crown.To do that, South Africa will also have to hold their own in Sri Lanka, the place where they last lost a Test series away from home in 2006. They will travel there as a team under reconstruction who, for the first time in almost a decade, will not be led by Graeme Smith.His successor is expected to be announced in June and is likely to be one of AB de Villiers or Faf du Plessis. Both are already international captains, in the ODI and T20 formats respectively, which should make the changing of the guard nothing more complicated that a formality but Domingo still recognises there will be a need for some adjustment and he hopes that can happen smoothly.”The Test side will take on a new shape now, especially with Kallis and Smith not being there so .the main thing is getting the new leader in place and forging the relationship with him,” Domingo said. “It’s important that we pick the right person and that person has some time to establish how he wants to do things.”Smith’s absence also leaves South Africa in the market search for another opening batsman. Dean Elgar is the frontrunner – not only has he already been part of the Test side but his regular position is in the top order – but names such as Quinton de Kock and Stiaan van Zyl have also been mentioned.Van Zyl was the leading run-scorer in the most recent edition of the first-class competition, which also saw Justin Ontong, who ended five runs behind van Zyl, surge back into contention. While Domingo would not be drawn on who his preference is, he emphasised that whoever the selectors choose to add to the mix would need to be given time to establish himself.”There’s a big difference between scoring runs at franchise level and at Test level and that’s why replacing Kallis and Smith will be the big challenge,” Domingo said. “Whoever comes in, it is important that we are patient with him. There are big boots to fill.”Patience was also the quality Kallis called for after Smith’s retirement in March. Then, Kallis told the media that bridging the experience gap would be the largest hurdle for South Africa’s Test side in the immediate future. “There are going to be some younger players and a little bit more inexperience than usual so there will be more pressure on them,” Kallis said. “But there are enough quality players in the system to make sure South Africa always stays there and thereabouts.”Since the rankings system was put into place, in 2003, South Africa have never found themselves outside the top six and have spent the bulk of that time in the top three. Their hovering around the No.1 ranking without actually claiming it was put down to lack of ruthlessness but they resolved that during their run in 2012-13.Now that those results are no longer valued as highly as far as the rankings are concerned, they have to find their killer instinct again if the hope to summit again. That will be a challenge given the transition period the Test team is going through and what Domingo called the “stop-start,” nature of South Africa’s schedule.South Africa will play only five more Tests in 2014 with substantial gaps between them – two in July, one in August and two more in December against West Indies. That will be followed by one more in January before the 2015 World Cup. “It’s very much a stop-start Test schedule for us. One-day cricket is the the priority with the World Cup coming up so we don’t have many Tests. We only play three Tests before the Boxing Day Test so that’s disappointing. It would be nice to play more Tests,” Domingo said. And longer Test series.”The three series I’ve been involved in so far – two of them have been two-Test series,” Domingo said, referring to the series against Pakistan in the UAE last October and India at home in December. “All Test cricket is pressured but two-Test series are always a little more pressure. You can just have one or two bad sessions and then you can’t win a Test series. It would be nice to play more three or four-Test series but there’s nothing we can do about that.”Lamenting South Africa’s lean fixture list is something everyone from Smith to Domingo has done publicly while accepting it is beyond their control. Take the small example of Australia having played 37 matches in the period under consideration for the latest rankings, compared with South Africa’s 26. With the FTP still under negotiation and South Africa not among the Big Three, the chances of them playing more often seem slim. That may be the reason Domingo did not mention more fixtures as another way South Africa could seize back top spot.

Marcus Trescothick’s demise in the shortest format leads this week’s countdown of the things that mattered in the NatWest T20 Blast

Tim Wigmore14-Jul-20145. The end for Tresco in T20?
Marcus Trescothick’s emphatic return to form – he has just scored his fourth Championship hundred of the season – has been one of 2014’s most heart-warming tales.Could Marcus Trescothick’s career in the shortest format be over?•Getty ImagesBut it has not extended to the NatWest Blast. Trescothick mustered only 33 runs in six innings this season and, going back to the start of the 2012 season, has scored only 142 runs at 10.92 apiece. The offside crunches and nonchalant heaves over long-on, shown off during a 129-ball 133 against Durham hailed by Paul Collingwood as an innings that would be talked about “for the next ten years” have been absent in T20 colours. And they will continue to be so: Trescothick was omitted from Somerset’s team on Friday; they beat Gloucestershire without him.The decision hints at permanence, too. “We have decided to leave Marcus Trescothick out of the team,” director of cricket Dave Nosworthy said. “Marcus has not been scoring as well as he would have liked to have in this form of the game and he has agreed that it is in the best interests of the team that he should be left out.”This move will now allow him to focus on his Championship and 50-Over cricket,” Nosworthy said. The T20 captaincy has been taken over by Alfonso Thomas for the remainder of the season.Trescothick could perhaps be viewed as a victim of the new Blast format, and the demands on players to play a T20 game a day after a Championship match. Somerset are currently in the midst of a particularly nonsensical schedule: 11 consecutive days of cricket, including Championship matches in Uxbridge and Northampton, and T20 games at Southampton, Taunton and The Oval. He could hardly be blamed if he did not find that conducive to extending his sterling Championship scoring to T20.4. The Fred factor
Round two was better than round one. At Grace Road, Andrew Flintoff took 3 for 26, showing that his yorker remained in fine working order. The first innings of his comeback was less impressive, ending on 1 to a self-described “horrendous shot”. No matter: “I just can’t stop smiling,” he effused.Player focus: Michael HoganGetty Images

Not many would be allowed to keep Justin Langer waiting but Michael Hogan can: so convinced is Langer of Hogan’s worth that he has kept a berth open in Western Australia’s squad for 2014/15 in the hope of being able to convince him to return. Hogan’s reputation – in so much as he has one – is for relentless first-class excellence from his rangy build. But he’s also a skilled death bowler. He earned an amazing tie against Kent when his last over went for only three, and he yielded only eight from his final over against Surrey at The Oval, with Vikram Solanki unable to get any bat on a final ball yorker outside off stump to hand Glamorgan a four-run win.

He wasn’t the only one, either. “There was definitely a Freddie factor,” Leicestershire chief executive Mike Siddall said. “Freddie probably put 500 on the gate – we’d love him at Grace Road every week! Our gate takings were the best of the T20 season and we sold a lot of beer as well.”With Flintoff obliging fans with autographs and photographs after the game, many Leicestershire supporters would have left unperturbed by the home side’s defeat.Lancashire’s win means they have qualified for the quarter-finals. Based on the current tables, they will have a home draw against Surrey and Kevin Pietersen. Tasty.3. Yorkshire’s spin twins
The notion of spin twins is a stirring one for many cricketing romantics. That is especially true when, as in the case of Yorkshire, both players are homegrown. Azeem Rafiq and Adil Rashid have both been through tumult in their careers but they have combined superbly so far in the Blast this season, already sharing 25 wickets. Rashid’s tale is familiar, but Rafiq’s is just as interesting. He stood-in as Yorkshire captain, with considerable success, in T20 two years ago: quite a fear for a 21-year-old. His career has stuttered since – partly due to Rashid’s resurgence. For all their T20 success, Yorkshire are still yet to partner Rafiq and Rashid in the Championship in 2014.2. Ajmal’s T20 farewell
His effect hasn’t been as spectacular as in the County Championship, but Saeed Ajmal has also been magnificent in the Blast, taking 12 wickets at 19.75 apiece while going for only 6.07 an over. Ajmal signed off from this season’s Blast with 3 for 17 at Edgbaston: he now goes to the Caribbean Premier League. His mystery and control – equally effective in and out of the Powerplay overs – have been instrumental in Worcestershire’s rise to third in the North Division, and the Rapids will now fear submerging without him.1 But don’t forget another overseas offspinner…
In comparison to Ajmal, Jeetan Patel is a rather less exciting import: an offspinner who enjoyed a fairly nondescript career with New Zealand But no one at Warwickshire would dispute his worth, and Patel’s gratitude in return was shown when he rejected the chance to tour the Caribbean with the Kiwis last month. His 2 for 17 helped Warwickshire trump Ajmal on Friday and snap a four-game losing streak: Patel now has eight wickets in his last three Blast games.

Daren Ganga24-Dec-2014The guys had played some T20s in South Africa and won in Port Elizabeth so by the time the Test players like I joined them we felt very confident that the team would be competitive. We knew from our experiences in 1998-99 that the PE track was quite fast but over the years it had become batsman-friendly. We analysed it well so we were not too worried when we were put in to bat even though our past record may have led the South Africans to believe that they would beat us.We felt their bowlers were a bit off their usual form and there was some indifferent bowling upfront. Myself and Chris Gayle were able to put on an opening partnership two short of 100 and that really set the tone, especially through Chris’ contribution.Back then he was at that stage between being carefree and maturing and it really showed how he was developing. He was also our leader on the tour so he had the responsibility and he really took that on.At the end of the first day, we were in a good position. Marlon Samuels had scored 94 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul was still batting, but there was still a lot to do. Only after Shiv took us over 350 and then over 400 did we really feel we could take some control.Our first-innings total set the precedent but we knew we had struggled to get 20 wickets in the past, especially against better teams. But our attack seized the initiative. They operated in partnerships. They were aggressive but disciplined and at the end of the second day we had South Africa five down.After we bowled them out cheaply on the third morning, we followed up with a solid batting performance in the second innings too. Not great but solid. That’s when it started to seem like we could win. When we broke it up session by session, we could see that every day we had taken more control. First we put ourselves in a position from which we couldn’t lose the game and then we went for the win. We were very hungry for the victory.On the final day, our bowlers picked up early wickets again and we were smelling victory, especially since we could see the tension on the South African faces. I was fielding at forward short leg when Fidel Edwards bowled one into Graeme Smith’s ribs and he fended it off. I took the catch basically on the pitch. I could just see the anxiety and that South Africa knew we could win.Jacques Kallis was the only guy who looked like standing between us and victory and when Edwards had him caught behind, we thought we could get through the rest. And we did, even though AB de Villiers batted well and there was some resistance at the end.We really wanted the win so kept at it because we knew how much it would mean to us. In previous series, we had struggled to start well and we knew if we started well it could give us a psychological advantage for the rest of the series.Afterwards there was definitely some rowdiness in the dressing room. The victory bonded us together as a team. We knew it was no easy feat to beat South Africa at home and we knew we had a win against a top quality team.But then we settled back into the mindset we have struggled to get out of for so many years. Gayle got injured in the second Test and that really changed things. Psychologically, we were not prepared for that. We were batting one short – we were 10 against 11. Dwayne Bravo had to take over and we really battled. That’s where things went downhill. We never recovered.For this match, I am optimistic but also realistic. We have an inexperienced side in all aspects – batting, bowling and even in leadership because Denesh Ramdin is still feeling his way into the captaincy.The other problem we have is that some of our players are technically limited and don’t have the same kind of experience as the South Africans. Look at Stiaan van Zyl as an example. He made his Test debut after playing 96 first-class games so he understands his own game inside-out. Our players have not had that kind of experience. Our infrastructure does not allow players to develop in that way. It’s a combination of things that we need from good coaching to exposure to international conditions. We need our A team to be playing consistently against strong opposition.I would like to see fight and sustained intensity. Beating South Africa will be really difficult. It’s asking a lot but we must not roll over and be better than we were in the game before.

Sri Lanka have had poor form coming into the tournament but their greatest shortcoming has been in the field

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Dunedin21-Feb-2015Afghanistan have spoken of their intent to upset an established cricket side, and with Sri Lanka having lost both warm-ups and the tournament opener, they would appear to be ripe for the plucking. Only, few teams have been better at putting away Associate nations than Sri Lanka, particularly at major tournaments. Netherlands were the most recent victims, in last year’s World T20, but Canada and Kenya have also been dealt with severely in past World Cups.For Sri Lanka, this match is not just a banana peel to avoid, it is a chance to climb into gear. They had arrived in New Zealand with high hopes for the long away season, but instead, injury has sapped key players of form, and a familiar flimsiness in the middle order has returned. Their greatest shortcoming, however, has been in the field, where they have shelled important catches and bled runs.”We’ve done a lot of hard work with our fielding,” captain Angelo Mathews said, “but it’s just that the consistency level is not there. One game we are extremely good, the next game we drop our standards a little bit. I don’t think we are a bad fielding unit.”Sri Lanka dropped catches off both Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson in the tournament opener, before both batsmen went on to hit half-centuries. Reprieved batsmen have made a habit of making Sri Lanka pay for their errors in the past few months. Rohit Sharma was dropped in a Kolkata ODI for four before he went on to hit a record 264, while Willamson was also given several chances during the double-ton that transformed the second Test in Wellington.”When you make mistakes you lose your concentration and that split second can turn the game around,” Mathews said. “So you’ve got to have your focus right throughout the game and not let those chances slip away.”When you look at all the games that have been played in the World Cup, the better fielding sides always stop about 15-20 runs and they take those crucial game. They don’t give the good batsmen a chance. We certainly can do that, it’s just that our concentration has slipped away. Hopefully we can ‑‑ we expect a clinical performance tomorrow.”The World Cup has so far seen violent hitting in the death overs – a trend which has yet to catch up with Sri Lanka during their time in New Zealand. With Lahiru Thirimanne having been moved to the opening position, Test-match opener Dimuth Karunaratne has been tasked with filling the gap in the middle order. With Thisara Perera also out of form, Sri Lanka have not had the batting power other teams have displayed in the last 15 overs.”We’ve talked about our lower middle order so much in the past few days,” Mathews said. “On so many occasions we have batting meetings. One thing that we want to make sure, is that we bat through the 40 overs and try and not lose too many wickets, then launch at the end. Hopefully we all seven batters will perform tomorrow.”The abject start to 2015 has been a return to earth for Sri Lanka, who won 12 of the 16 trophies they played for in 2014, and drew for one more. They have now lost 12 of their last 19 completed ODIs, but Mathews said his team was still capable of the quality of performance that saw them become such a force last year.”We’ve had a really good time in the past 12 or 14 months. We’ve beaten England and created history there. So we can do it. We know that we can do it. It’s just that we need to believe in ourselves, and not give up until the last moment. Even in the 2013 Champions Trophy, we lost the first game to New Zealand and came back really hard in English conditions to beat England and Australia. We’ve got the skill to do it.”

Stats highlights from the Group B match between UAE and Zimbabwe in Nelson

Bishen Jeswant19-Feb-2015285 UAE’s total, their highest in an ODI, beating the 282 they made against Afghanistan in 2014. The corresponding best in a World Cup match before today was 220, against Netherlands in 1996. Zimbabwe overhauling the target though meant they recorded their fourth-highest chase in ODI history67 Runs made by Shaiman Anwar, the second-highest by a UAE batsman in the World Cup. Saleem Raza’s 84 against Netherlands in 1996 is the highest.82 Runs for the third-wicket partnership between Khurram Khan and Krishna Chandran, UAE’s second-highest for any wicket in the World Cup. Shaiman and Swapnil Patel also posted 82 runs for the fifth wicket today.76 Runs for Sean Williams, the second-highest by a Zimbabwe No. 5 in the World Cup. Dave Houghton has the record with his 84 against Australia in 1983.43 Khurram’s age, making him the third-oldest player to be part of a World Cup. Nolan Clarke, who played in the 1996 World Cup at the age of 47, is the oldest. Second on the list is John Traicos who played the 1992 World Cup for Zimbabwe at 44.8 Times a batsman has been out hit wicket in World Cups. Zimbabwe opener Regis Chakabva was the latest such instance, making opening batsmen feature four times in the list. Kenya’s Maurice Odumbe is the only batsman to be dismissed hit wicket on two occasions in World Cups.56.5 Chakabva’s strike rate during his 35 off 62 balls today, the third-lowest for an opener during this World Cup (min. 50 balls faced). Anamul Haq’s 29 off 55 against Afghanistan was the slowest such innings, with him striking at 52.7 per hundred balls.83 The partnership between Williams and Craig Ervine. It is the second-highest sixth-wicket stand in World Cups for Zimbabwe. The 103 added by Houghton and Kevin Curran, during Zimbabwe’s loss to Australia in the 1983 World Cup holds the record.5 Zimbabwe batsmen who made a 35-plus score during their innings, a first for Zimbabwe in World Cups. This is the fourth such instance for Zimbabwe in all ODIs. This is also it’s fourth time happening for all teams in World Cups.

IPL markets itself as World’s premier Twenty20 tournament but the innovations have been coming from elsewhere. Here is a list of things that could make the tournament more interesting

Karthik Krishnaswamy07-Apr-2015Two bouncers per over
In an otherwise batsman-dominated World Cup, the bouncer emerged as a key weapon for fast bowlers, most memorably during the peppering Wahab Riaz gave Shane Watson. Most pitches in the IPL are nowhere near as quick as some of the Australian tracks, and misdirected short balls can disappear into the crowd in smaller grounds, but accurate bouncers delivered by good fast bowlers are never easy to play. An extra bouncer in the over also makes it harder for batsmen to make premeditated movements and second-guess bowlers’ plans.Room for crowd spontaneity
The fan experience at IPL matches is heavily controlled. There’s an emcee telling you when to cheer and when to start a Mexican wave, a DJ blasting out Bollywood music at every opportunity, and the appropriate team song whenever there’s a boundary or wicket. Sometimes, as soon as you’ve arrived, you find a home-team flag on your seat. Given all that, it’s difficult for a section of the crowd to make themselves heard if they’ve come up with an innovative chant or for a group holding up an interesting banner to make themselves seen. There is a case, therefore, for the IPL and its franchises to make their in-stadium experience a little less in-your-face, a little less in-your-eardrums. And if it isn’t too much to ask, maybe even allow fans a bit of room to watch the game and introspect?Catch-the-ball contests
What better way to reward keeping an eye on the cricket than by giving away prizes to fans who take catches in the stands? At all the World Cup matches in New Zealand, orange-clad spectators in the crowd fell over each other, literally, whenever sixes sailed beyond the rope, to try and catch the ball one-handed. It might even serve the IPL’s commercial interests to add a crowd catch to their *insert sponsor’s name here* sensational catches package.Zing bailsIt somehow seems inappropriate that the blingiest cricket tournament in the known universe does not feature bails that light up. Apart from adding a flash of candy-shop neon to the spectacle of run-outs, stumpings and comprehensive clean-bowleds, they also bring the possibility of controversy. At the World Cup, their slight extra weight led to reprieves for Ed Joyce, Misbah-ul-Haq and Steven Smith when bowlers got through their defences. Imagine that happening in a crucial moment of an IPL play-off game.No-holds-barred commentatorsThe greatest moment of the 2014-15 Big Bash League may have happened in the commentary box, where Ricky Ponting interviewed Kevin Pietersen without holding back on uncomfortable questions. For 20 minutes, the cricket seemed a sideshow to a chat between two great cricketers that was full of honesty and insight. Maybe the IPL could take a leaf out of its Australian counterpart, and allow its commentators to do more than merely cheerlead.

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2015Karun Nair and Ajinkya Rahane made fifties while adding 113 for the second wicket at a brisk rate of 9.82 to the over•BCCINair fell after making 61 from 38 but Rahane remained unbeaten on 91 from 54, which was laced with nine fours and three sixes, helping Royals to 189 for 2•BCCIStuart Binny and Watson removed the Daredevils openers cheaply inside five overs•BCCIJames Faulkner extended Yuvraj Singh’s dismal season when he dismissed the left-hander for 22 in the ninth over•BCCIJP Duminy struck some towering sixes top-scoring for Daredevils with a 39-ball 56, but fell to Faulkner attempting a ramp shot, with Daredevils needing 45 from the last two overs•BCCINathan Coulter-Nile and Saurabh Tiwary struck a few crunching sixes but it was all too little too late as Daredevils slumped to a 14-run loss at Brabourne Stadium•BCCI

Plays of the day from the first T20 between India and Zimbabwe in Harare

Liam Brickhill in Harare17-Jul-2015The debutThere were a remarkable seven debutants in the playing XIs today, but possibly none more nervous than Taurai Muzarabani. A couple of high-fives from his team-mates appeared to do little to steady his nerves and Muzarabani, perhaps striving a little too hard for pace, repeatedly dug the ball in short on a slow track. His first two overs went for an exorbitant 36 runs, including three fours and a six.The wicket-maidenThere was precious little flight or guile in Graeme Cremer’s first over and when he started his second, India were cruising at 82 for 1. Opting for a change of plan, Cremer began to hang the ball temptingly in the breeze, and with a little grip and spin he had Ajinkya Rahane caught at point of a leading edge almost immediately. Cremer continued to loop the ball up, Manish Pandey struggled to get the ball off the square and the legspinner completed a wicket maiden with an indecipherable googly.The catch that wasn’tCremer was back in the action in the field in the 17th over, sprinting to his left from long-off to hold a good catch. The only problem was that the catch came off a free hit, with Neville Madziva having overstepped the previous delivery. As Cremer celebrated, the fielders closest to him quickly alerted him to his mistake. Cremer clearly saw the funny side, responding to the gentle jibes from the crowd with a rueful smile.The debut: Part IISandeep Sharma is just 22 years old, but he’s not exactly short on Twenty20 experience, having played 43 matches in the format – many of them for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. In all those games, he can’t have bowled many overs more expensive than his first in international cricket. Chamu Chibhabha lifted his very first delivery over long-on, holding the pose after his shot. Hamilton Masakadza scooped his fourth delivery for a second six, and a spooked bowler then zinged down two leg-side wides in a first over that leaked 16 runs.The direct hitMohit Sharma had a parsimonious day with the ball, but perhaps his finest moment came in the field. Sikandar Raza flicked a straight ball from Stuart Binny towards deep midwicket, where Mohit came charging in from the fence. Needing to score at more than 15 an over at the time, the batsmen called for an iffy second. Mohit, off balance and with only one stump to aim at, picked up the ball and curled a rifling throw straight on target to run Craig Ervine out. Zimbabwe’s hopes of an unlikely win had already faded, but with that dismissal the result was all but sealed.

Jerome Taylor and Jomel Warrican impressed with the ball but the batsmen failed miserably with West Indies managing only one fifty partnership in the series

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Oct-20157Jerome Taylor (6 wickets at 23.50)Raced in spell after spell in the heat of Galle, as Sri Lanka amassed a huge total, and was a consistent troublemaker for the hosts at the P Sara. Taylor didn’t beat so many edges, but unsettled the batsmen with short bowling instead, and even got wickets that way. Had rattled the Sri Lanka top order in both innings at the P Sara, which bought the spinners time to settle at the crease, when they were brought on.Jomel Warrican (6 wickets at 21.50)Warrican wasn’t particularly proud of his four wickets in the first innings, but they did keep Sri Lanka to a manageable total. He arguably bowled better in the second dig, and can partly be credited for the wickets that fell at the other end. A canny, consistent bowler who is unafraid to attack, Warrican looks a good addition to West Indies’ bowling stocks.6Kraigg Brathwaite (103 runs at 25.75, 6 wickets at 7.16)Batted astutely for his 47 in the first innings at the P Sara, then came up with a staggering 6 for 29 in the second innings, as Sri Lanka’s batsmen continued to attempt big shots against him. The bowling was doughty rather than indomitable, but the breakthroughs just kept coming and he kept West Indies in a match that had been slipping quickly away from them. Incredibly, he had only had three first-class wickets before that performance. Jason Holder may use this hitherto-unsuspected weapon more often in the future.5Darren Bravo (144 runs at 36)West Indies’ best batsman of the series, and he didn’t average 40. Bravo seemed the most at ease against Rangana Herath, but even still, he fell to him twice. Made a measured 50 in Galle before being caught spectacularly by Dinesh Chandimal, then hit a sparkling 61 in the failed P Sara chase. As ever, he seems the batsman around whom the middle order will pivot in years to come, but the fifties need to become big hundreds if West Indies are to make headway in Tests.Jason Holder showed discipline with the ball but has plenty to learn as a captain•Associated PressJason Holder (3 wickets at 22.33, 65 runs at 16.25)Holder’s control with the ball was unparalleled by any seamer in the series, but that didn’t translate into wickets on dry surfaces. He did however, sharpen the menace of the men he bowled in tandem with. Made no major contributions with the bat. His first series as captain was made tougher by the suspension of coach Phil Simmons, who he had spoken fondly of before the series. The result was a muddled strategy with bat and ball, which was often too defensive. He has plenty of years to learn, but he’ll improve quicker if he is better supported during this delicate stage of leadership.4Jermaine Blackwood (123 runs at 30.75)The sheen was taken off Blackwood’s excellent numbers this year by a 16 and 4 at the P Sara. In Galle, he had defended sagely in the early part of his second-innings knock, then accelerated when wickets began falling at the other end, finally perishing with a hundred in sight. Didn’t seem to have glaring technical weaknesses, but his shot selection remains a work in progress.Devendra Bishoo (5 wickets at 44.40)His figures are underwhelming given the pitches were helpful, but Bishoo also had chances grassed off his bowling, particularly in Galle. Bowled a few too many loose balls to create consistent pressure, and was occasionally put off his lengths by attacking batting – especially from Sri Lanka’s left-hand batsmen. He did hasten the end of Sri Lanka’s innings in Galle, but the hosts had already made a tall total at that point.Kemar Roach (2 wickets at 51)Bowled better with the old ball than the new, but didn’t create many chances with either. The lack of movement from Sri Lanka’s surfaces hampered his style of bowling, but at least his discipline was good throughout. Bowled his best spell on the first morning in Galle.Denesh Ramdin (58 runs at 14.50, 8 catches and a stumping)Made no scores of consequence during the series, and was equally frail against seam and spin. His glovework though, was tidy, even during that long stretch in the field in Galle.Shai Hope (68 runs at 17)Hope would perhaps have made a better fist of the series if he had played more shots. He hit some delicious boundaries in his short stints at the crease, but was eventually dismissed by one that turned or bounced more than he expected. West Indies have a real shortage of talent in the opening positions, and Hope needs to develop a better defensive game if he is to stay atop the order long term. He did have a share in West Indies’ only fifty-plus stand of the series, with Darren Bravo.Shannon Gabriel (1 wicket at 76)Delivered energetic spells during that first, laborious day in Galle, but went unrewarded that day. Claimed the wicket of Kusal Perera the following day, but was dropped in favour of an extra spinner in Colombo.2Marlon Samuels (30 at 7.50, 1 wicket at 84)Last time Samuels was in the country, he played one of the great T20 innings to win West Indies the World T20. He must have used up all his good fortune then, because this tour could hardly have gone any worse. The leaden-footed batsman who was out for 13 and 6 at the P Sara seemed incredibly short of confidence. To top it all off, his action was reported, and he now faces a biomechanical Test to prove its legality.

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2016Once the pair were dismissed by the 10th over, Sabbir Rahman took charge of the innings with a brisk 43•AFPSabbir had good support from Mushfiqur Rahim, who pitched in the 52-run stand for the fourth wicket, helping Bangladesh finish at 167 for 3•AFPZimbabwe’s chase once again depended heavily on Hamilton Masakadza, who was also leading the side today•AFPSabbir, however, gave Bangladesh an advantage dismissing Masakadza and Richmond Mutumbami in successive overs. Sabbir eventually finished with 3 for 11•AFPShuvagata Hom, too, chipped in with a wicket, as Bangladesh wrapped up a 42-run win to take a 2-0 lead in the series•AFP